Testimonials - TEFL Teachers

Our selection process, training, curricula, resource materials and professional environment ensure that every Hess teacher is passionate about educating their students. Our local and foreign teachers are patient, energetic, loving and intelligent. Foreign teachers, immersed in the exciting and challenging experience of living in another culture, are amazed by the warmth and friendship with which the Taiwanese welcome them.

Penny Cavanagh
CANADA

My name is Penny Cavanagh. In Calgary, Canada I was a retail manager for about 7 years and did some classical singing. I am currently 25 years old and have been working for Hess for just over 2 years. My first 10 months were in Hualien and the remainder in Taipei and Singapore.

I have had an incredible experience in Taiwan. I am a shy person but I am also adventurous. I have had the opportunity to teach English with Hess as well as work at main office as a project coordinator and in Singapore as a summer camp support coordinator. This year I took on the challenge of becoming a Head Teacher.
Teaching overseas is overwhelmingly good for you, heart and soul. You have a chance to teach wonderful kids, travel inexpensively, meet terrific people, and test yourself to the limit living in a different culture.
The most valuable and portable things I own are my experience and education. I haven't just taken a bite out of my debt; I paid it all off – about $8,000 Canadian in my first year. In my second year, I saved $10,000 after I paid off my return ticket and my college tuition and books of $2,500. I feel great about how much better my finances are now and I haven't had to scrimp. I have traveled to lots of places like Hong Kong, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and around the island. I have even taken up the very Taiwanese past time of shopping to no ill effect! I have probably read about 150 books and had time to enter a short story writing contest and will do it again this year.

Jean-Christophe Guedon
CANADA

When I took the Hess TEFL training, I had no formal experience teaching English. I was one of those English speakers who could tell you that something was grammatically incorrect, but I had no idea why besides “it just sounded wrong.” I remember being in training feeling like I was on information overload, there was so much I needed to learn and training only lasted a week.

After my week training with Hess, I still felt confused, but I had gained so many skills. I didn’t really realize how much I had learned until I taught my first few classes. Suddenly all those hours of training started to make sense ... I know that had I entered the classroom without the training, I would have been lost and it would have taken me at least ten times more work to get to where I am know in my teaching career.

It has been almost seven years since I did my TEFL training with Hess ...  In fact I now do some training myself and I always try to compare myself to my trainers to make sure I am maintaining the high quality training I was fortunate enough to get. I was inspired by the passion of my trainers, and this taught me to be the best teacher I can be. Now, I am a parent myself and I feel confident that those same skills I learned in my TEFL training have made me a more effective parent.

If you have a genuine interest in becoming a teacher, you need to make sure you get the training to prepare yourself for the classroom. Being a teacher is more responsibility than most jobs as you have the power to teach, to inspire and to develop young minds. There is nothing we can do that is more important that that!

Joshua Wong
CANADA

The training at Hess helped in the classroom in many different ways. First, being grouped with other new teachers during the initial training, helped me to learn more comfortably. It gave me a sense of security in a foreign country to learn with others like me. Watching all the videos, observing actual classes, doing the lesson plans and teaching demos provided a good foundation for teaching. The follow-up trainings were also really helpful as they brought back the groups of new teachers together to discuss successes and challenges and explore solutions. Overall the Hess training helped lay the bricks for a strong foundation of teaching principles which I was able to build on day by day, and lesson by lesson.

After leaving teaching, I returned to Canada and started a career in banking. The idea of being well-prepared for a class, helps me prepare for each client meeting I have. In addition, I tend to use more visuals, hand gestures, and examples to help explain investment concepts to clients. Because of the Hess training, I learned that people learn at different speeds. It's funny but the same goes with banking. You can't assume that everyone is at the same level and you must adjust your communication to fit your audience whether they are students or clients. I am very grateful for the valuable lessons that the Hess training provided me with for teaching English as a Foreign language. I am even more thankful that these lessons have helped me in my job as a banker.

Lara Christensen
CANADA

In June 2004, after teaching my tenth year in Canada, I took a leave, hopped on plane and jet setted for Taiwan. My childhood friend was there and had been bugging me for years to come teach with him. I had visited him in Taiwan in 1999 so knew a bit of what to expect, but honestly a short visit does not let you see or enjoy the true personality of Taiwan and Hess.

My job, once there, was to teach Kindergarten in the morning and work for the curriculum department in the afternoon, writing Kindergarten curriculum and the music for all others. I had to be trained on how to teach. I was skeptical that I could really be taught anything new about teaching, after all I had been teaching for 10 years. However, at the training I learned a lot of great and new ways to teach students. I even still use strategies I learned in the training now that I am back home teaching again.

The trainers were professional but fun and really knew their stuff. Because I had been at Main Office a few days I did know some of them already, mostly just by name. One Kiwi trainer did catch my eye, which was NOT in my plan when I took my year’s leave from home. Eventually the harassing I received by Chris in training turned into more.

For me, teaching Kindergarten was a definite highlight. Watching 3 years olds go from speaking no English to singing “You Are My Sunshine” to me at my farewell party is something I will never forget. Chris and I have now been home in Canada for 5 years. Taiwan and Hess are never far from our thoughts. We keep in touch with good friends and often talk about all the great times we had. In July 2005 we were married. A couple of our friends from Taiwan even made the trek over for the wedding. And now, we have two children! It is Taiwan and Hess that brought us together and we will never forget it. We were just asked the other day, “would we go back?” Our answer, “You bet!"

Robbie Austin
NEW ZEALAND

For me, deciding to teach English overseas was pretty spontaneous. I had heard from a friend that it was a good gig and I trusted his advice. Two weeks later I was on the plane, but there was one little problem―I didn’t have any teaching experience. I grew more and more nervous at the thought of walking into the classroom and having no idea what to do. . .  I needn’t have worried though because Hess provided a very comprehensive TEFL training course and by the time I had finished I felt like I had the skills and confidence to walk into a classroom and give it a go.

I learn best by ‘doing’ and think the most important part of the TEFL training was doing the teaching demonstrations. It gave me a chance to apply all of the skills that I had learnt from my instructors and the invaluable experience of standing in front of my peers and actually teaching. Until I had done my first presentation I didn’t realize how difficult putting the theory into practice could be and I am so glad the demonstrations gave me a chance to iron out the kinks and gain some confidence before I taught my first lesson with real students! 

You’ve got to realize that even after doing the training you won’t be able to walk into a classroom and teach the perfect lesson straight away, but if you work hard and apply the skills you learnt you’ll be successful sooner rather than later, which means your students will be learning happily and you’ll be feeling confident and proud of what you are achieving. 

Teachers become great organizers and communicators and I have used the skills I learnt while training with Hess to teach children and adults, design courses and curriculum, coordinate international camps, run nationwide English speech competitions and spelling bees, design educational drama workshops, train other teachers, make educational DVDs and host events for over 4000 people. Getting a TEFL qualification under your belt won’t only help you become a successful teacher―it will open the doors to the massive and growing global English industry and is a great way to combine adventure, work and travel.